Sean Kanan Reflects on Maturing 'Alongside' His “Bold and the Beautiful” Character Over Nearly 25 Years: 'Very Special' (Exclusive)

Sean Kanan is opening up about how he and his The Bold and the Beautiful character have shaped each other.

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, the 58-year-old actor reflected on playing Deacon Sharpe for nearly 25 years on the daytime soap (as well as in crossover episodes of sister series The Young and the Restless from 2009 to 2022). He says he and Deacon have grown and evolved "alongside" each other over time.

"On a personal level, I think I've really matured as a man on The Bold and the Beautiful. And I don't think it's any coincidence that Deacon Sharpe has become a more evolved, better human being, hopefully right alongside myself over the years," Kanan says, noting that it's "a special thing" to be able to stand in the shoes of the same character for so long.

Related: 'Cobra Kai' Star Sean Kanan Nearly Died on 'Karate Kid' Set: 'They Didn't Know If I Could Live'

"I'm just eternally grateful to Brad Bell and his late parents, Bill and Lee Bell, and the entire Bell family for providing me with what has been probably the most seminal role I've ever had in television," he adds, referring to the late Bold and Y&R creator and producer William J. Bell, his wife Lee and their children Bradley, Lauralee and William Bell.

Kanan says working on Bold has opened up his career by introducing him to a wide-reaching international audience. "The Bold and the Beautiful is the most watched daytime drama in the world. It's in the Guinness World Book of Records, so that's been an incredible gift," he explains, adding that the show's massive popularity in Italy even prompted him to begin studying Italian more than 20 years ago. "[That] turned out to be a really great thing because I've been able to work in Italy quite a bit."

As for his character Deacon's countless memorable storylines over the years, Kanan has a clear favorite among them.

"I would say getting my mother-in-law pregnant was true soap opera gold. Katherine Kelly Lang was my mother-in-law [Brooke Logan]. I was married to her daughter Bridget and had an affair with the mother-in-law and gave birth to Hope Logan, my daughter on the show now," he tells PEOPLE. "Yeah, that was quite a memorable storyline that still sticks out for a lot of people and me."

Kanan says the controversial plot point received strong reactions from fans. "I mean, it was pretty hot. It was so taboo and salacious," he recalls. "Bridget was so innocent and kind. At that point, my character was a much worse guy."

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Since then, however, "Deacon has certainly come a long way," Kanan says of his character's redemption arc. "[He] has come out of prison and has really become a better man. When I first came on the show, I mean, it was tattoos, earrings, leather pants, smoking cigarettes and a bad attitude."

Related: 'Karate Kid' Bad Guy Sean Kanan on His Return — and Reinvention — in Season 5 of 'Cobra Kai'

The actor jokes, "He's probably read a couple of my books. That's probably what did it."

In 2021, the Cobra Kai star released The Way of the Cobra, a motivational book designed to inspire people to identify their "why," set goals and achieve them — or, as a synopsis puts it, "unleash your inner COBRA, that successful driven beast within you."

Back in October, Kanan and his wife Michele released a second book, Way of the Cobra Couples, which offers "battle-tested strategies" for successful relationships.

As for whether fans can expect to see Deacon back in Y&R's Genoa City again anytime soon, Kanan tells PEOPLE that new crossover episodes are definitely a possibility. "I think so. Yeah," he says. "We're sort of sister shows. I always joke that to go from Los Angeles to Genoa City, Wisconsin, all you have to do is walk about 30 feet from the Bold and the Beautiful stage to the Y&R stage because we're on opposite sides of the hallway."

"So, it's always fun to go over and play in their sandbox," he adds. "Love working with the Y&R actors, but B&B is my television home and always will be."

The Bold and the Beautiful and The Young and the Restless air on CBS.

Read the original article on People